KITTERY, Maine — Kittery police have arrested a Portsmouth man for allegedly firing a stray bullet into a Kittery, Maine, residence and continue to investigate a matter which the suspect claims occurred by accident.

Christian Gochez, 21, of 33 Beechstone Road, Portsmouth, was charged with reckless conduct, a class D misdemeanor, for firing the bullet at about 1 a.m. on Sept. 15 in the upper apartment of a two-apartment building.

On Friday, police were called to a residence in Admiralty Village, where a resident in the lower apartment reported a stray bullet had been fired into the home. The bullet passed through the top floor through the ceiling of a child's bedroom. It then passed through a door in the lower apartment, where it became lodged in an interior wall.

Authorities say the bullet was a .45 caliber and was accidentally discharged, according to various parties.

Police determined through interviews Gochez had been visiting a friend in the upstairs apartment of the residence when the gun was fired.

Det. Raymond Hazen said police are still looking to confirm who was present at the time of the incident.

"We're investigating who was home at the time," he said.

Downstairs tenants reported they were not aware of the incident until they saw the hole in their ceiling and reported it to the property management company, as well as Kittery police.

""They noticed it (on Friday) and reported it as soon as they noticed it," Hazen said.

Police say the matter remains under investigation. Gochez will appear in York District Court in Maine for a hearing on Dec. 13.